I provide general Space Clearing services and specialised Qi Activation Ceremonies which can help shift and remove stagnant or sha qi (negative energy) that may be affecting a home or business after illness, when shifting into new premises previously occupied by someone else, when seeking to energise the strongest yang qi in a home or business to literally ‘wake up and re-energise’ the space, when seeking to calm quarrelsome energy and simply when the occupants feel stuck and weighed down by the atmosphere around them.

2. How did you start space clearing and when did you discover your 'gift'?

As a Xuan Kong feng shui consultant, I’ll often come across a particular room in a house or section of a business that has suffered imbalance of elements and/or negative earth qi that is having a negative impact on the general health and well-being of the occupants. I can tell from observing the surrounding landform, Ba Zhai and the natal flying star feng shui chart of the building which areas are most affected and which elements are best utilised to effectively clear the sha qi and positively energize the space, so it was a natural progression to utilize space clearing techniques in conjunction with feng shui to help the occupants tap into a positively energised state of synchronicity and harmony within their work or living environment.

3. In your own words, can you explain what you do and what you feel when you enter a space?

First I check the surrounding landform and assess the origin and quality of qi and whether there are any poison arrow features etc affecting the dwelling, as well as the natal chart of the space via flying star feng shui which requires the construction date and precise magnetic orientation of the building using a Luo Pan compass in order to ascertain the unique number chart of probability factors affecting each compass sector within that space. This (in conjunction with certain Trigram and He Tu combinations and element associations) then tells me which areas are likely to require the most attention and which elements to best use in order to gain the most effective result.

Often you will feel when a room is full of stagnant or sha qi – the overall atmosphere is heavier and there is a feeling of being pressed down and you naturally start to breathe out like a big ‘sigh’ as the depressed or blocked energy in the room envelopes you. I also tend to get a slight rash from my wrist to the elbow in rooms requiring rebalancing of the elements and space clearing. Clients are always amazed at how they feel after a space clearing – rather than feeling ‘heavy and pressured’ they now feel a bit light headed and many start to giggle. It’s really cute to see.

4. Are there any big differences between Space Clearing a home and clearing a business?

Occasionally when space clearing a home, I’ll pick up on the resonance of a particular argument or a very strong emotion that has been previously experienced in a room. I’ve had two experiences with ghost-like presences – one was a ghost cat that rubbed against my leg and had me quite surprised when the owner said I’d just felt the presence of the resident ghost cat, and the other experience revolved around the presence of an elderly woman who had previously passed away in the home and although she was no longer actually there, her personality had been so strong, there was still a very distinct feeling of her presence in a room where the occupants felt they were being judged and scolded for not behaving appropriately.

Interestingly, the flying star feng shui natal chart of that particular room contained a combination which indicated potential conflict between females of different generations, with older females being more susceptible to the influence. I used a combination of metal and a splash of fire element to balance the elements in the space, plus gave the home a thorough space clearing that was held on a specific Sun Ceremony date to ensure the spiritual entities of the home (also known as the 4 guardians) were appeased and respectfully acknowledged in order to gain their protective and nurturing influence for the occupants of the home.

When space clearing a business, I make sure the abundance locations containing the prime water star energies are decluttered and advise the clients if they would benefit by having water in that location to help retain the beneficial qi for the business. Ideally, it’s much easier to space clear a work space when it is empty – esp if you are using sage smudge sticks, because it can have the effect of making the occupants feel a little giddy and giggly and less work-oriented for a short while afterwards. But then again, I’ve had other business clients who have suddenly found their second wind after the space clearing and they are suddenly on the phone to clients and planning new events and meetings while feeling super energized!

5. Can you tell me your top Space Clearing rituals?

The space clearing process itself begins before I even leave home. It’s important that the person conducting the space clearing is currently healthy, free from emotional or mental blockages or obsessive worries and focused in a very positive way toward protecting and nurturing the clients in their home or workspace.

When space clearing, apart from using sage, incense, essential oils, Himalayan Rock Salt, palo santo wood etc, I also like to use a wooden clearing gong and striker which originally came from a temple in South Korea. It’s great for shifting really stagnant, sticky qi that sometimes accumulates in the corners of a room. I also use singing bowls, clearing bells and tuning forks that emit Solfeggio frequencies. One of my favourite forks is tuned to 528Hz which resonates at a deeply transformative level. It’s very subtle and gently regenerative. If the energy in a room is particularly blocked, I’ll sometimes incorporate a 417Hz frequency which is great for helping the occupants facilitate change and shift out of a stagnant situation.

Finding the right location to first ground the space clearing via a 'sacred space' within the building is essential to the process and this is where it really helps to look at the dwelling through feng shui eyes in order to establish where the qi originates in the surrounding land form, whether there are any blockages of qi flow and how it then enters the building and resonates within. The sacred space is where you first purify and combine the elements and your intentions for harmonious synchronicity for the occupants.

It’s very important to thoroughly wash and exfoliate after a space clearing. When I first started clearing homes back in the late 1990’s I once made the mistake of coming home after a particularly long space clearing and was so tired I fell asleep without first showering. Big mistake! The next morning I woke feeling terrible, with a headache and tummy ache. Sha qi is very sticky and often you will have a fine residue of the qi collected on your clothing or dusting your skin after a big clearing.

As long as you wash and exfoliate before sleeping that night, it’s usually fine, however if you allow the qi to settle into your skin, your body can easily absorb some, hence the hung-over feeling the following day. Ironically, the client phoned me the next day to tell me how wonderful the space felt and how revitalised the staff were. I’m now very pedantic about the washing and exfoliating after a clearing, to the point where if clients wish to join in with the space clearing, I repeatedly instruct them to go home and have a shower and body scrub once the clearing is over.

6. What could a reader expect from a consultation when you come to visit? Can you take us through step by step?

A lot depends on the space to be cleared, the reason the clients wish to have the space clearing and what the flying star natal chart reveals about the element balance in the building. I explain the process to the client as I go and they are welcome to join in. If the space clearing occurs in conjunction with or after I have worked on the feng shui of the building, I can ascertain which elements work best for the client personally from a 4 Pillars astrology perspective, (which is included in my feng shui reports) and then provide them with the appropriate space clearing tool to use. Clients tend to covet my collection of space clearing tools.

8. Could you give our readers a simple ritual that they could try today?

Pick a sunny morning and open up as many doors and windows as practically possible to allow a cross flow of fresh air into your home.

Dust and wipe down hard surfaces with a few drops of lavender essential oil on a damp microfiber cloth (or use some disposable Pledge Grab-It Electrostatic Dusting Cloths).

Burn a pleasant blend of essential oils (eg orange, bergamot and lavender) and open up all the internal doors so the aromatherapy is able to fill the entire space. Some people prefer to burn sandalwood incense or special space clearing charcoal, however be mindful that asthmatics may react adversely to some of the stronger substances, so when in doubt, go with essential oils.

Clear your mind and visualise a bright, beautiful golden white light beaming down on your head from above, passing through your body and then into the ground below you, connecting the Heaven, Man & Earth qi. With each breath in, focus on the cleansing beauty of the light and with each outward breath, imagine the light flowing through your body and into the earth at your feet, and forming a protective bubble of pure qi around you.

Start either in the kitchen or the main door and work your way clock-wise around the interior of the space, ringing a pleasant sounding bell, singing bowl or gong. Pick something that is pleasant to your ears – preferably with no tinniness to the sound. Metal element qi (which is terrific for space clearing) likes to begin in a specific point and then travel out in a beautiful arc of continuous pure sound (I visualise it as a protective rainbow of sound), so the longer the sound is held each time you ring the bell, gong or strike the singing bowl, the better!

Listen carefully as you emit the sound – when you encounter sha qi, the vibration tends to waver or dip slightly. The more time you spend in that area, the clearer the sound will become. If you know a chant – feel free to use it. Chanting can really help focus your mind on maintaining purity of intent while you cleanse the space. The most simple yet highly effective chant is Om Mani Pad Me Hum. It’s very easy to remember, or if you find it too difficult, simply repeat “Om” and try to feel it in your diaphragm rather than the back of your throat as you chant.

For really difficult rooms, place a small bowl of rock salt in the centre of the room to help collect the sha qi and make sure you dispose of it in a bin outside the building once you have completed the space clearing.

Once you have completed space clearing each room and are back in the kitchen or at the main door, wave your hands in a big figure of “8” while producing the metal element sound to help seal in the vibrational energy.

Finally, once you are finished, make sure you wash and exfoliate before going to bed!